“The Killing” recap (3.5): Scared and Running

This week’s episode of The Killing is a true example of the show’s ability to captivate. From the opening sequence, to the unsettling reveal in the last moments, the episode was a tense and taut ride. The episode begins with a car driving down a lonely, dark road. From seemingly out of nowhere, a young woman runs out in front of the car and is hit. The driver, a fresh faced young guy, slams on the breaks and runs to her aid. The girl is badly hurt, but like a wounded deer, uses her last bit of adrenaline to pick herself up and flee into the woods. The driver sees someone else in the distance and calls out to them. There is no response and the shadowy figure steps away and disappears into the woods after his prey.

Back in the Trailer of Perpetually Negligent Parenting, Kallie’s mom Danette is starting to get a little worried about her missing daughter. Danette’s phone registers a call from Kallie, but there is no message. She tells her boyfriend Joe Mills about it, but he assures her that Kallie will turn up. They have an argument about Joe’s comings and goings and another woman who seems to have some sort of sway in Joe’s life.

Speaking of Joe’s women, Mrs. Dips is now suited up in one of Seattle’s finest orange jumpsuits, looking a bit worse for wear. Holder informs her that Joe Mills has been using her address on various important paperwork over the years. Cracks begin to show in Mrs. Dips and we find out the reason she took the rap for the child pornography. Joe is her son. She waxes poetic about what a good boy he is and how the kids love him. There is a distinct Norman/Momma Bates vibe going on there, and it appears to creep Holder and Linden out, nearly as much as it does me.

Linden and Holder show up at Danette’s with a search warrant, looking for Joe Mills. She tells them, she hasn’t seen him and Linden tells her to sit down and shut up. Linden tells Danette that its Joe’s voice in the videotape of Kallie, but Danette doesn’t want to hear it. Maybe in a bit of misplaced guilt for her own parental missteps, Linden tells her that some people shouldn’t have kids. Danette looks back at her like “Do you think that is the first time I’ve heard that?” Holder tries to calm the situation, but Linden is in a mood. She wants to drive angry, so he hands her the keys. Hell hath no fury as a nicotine deprived woman in an oversized wool sweater. They get a call from Skinner to report to a crime scene.

The driver from the opening sequence is being questioned by police, and Seattle PD has set up a perimeter to try and find the injured girl. Instead of heading into the woods where the girl ran off after the accident, Linden backtracks to investigate where the girl was running from. She and Holder come across the same red, biohazard bags from the burial lake. Empty bags mean the girl, who they suspect to be Kallie, might still be out there.

On death row, the inmates are a bunch of regular chatty Cathys. Anton is practicing the speech he plans to give to his victim’s family. Fellow inmate Dale even chimes in. Anton tells them that inmates whose victims families grant forgiveness are far more likely to get a reduction from the death penalty to life. For Seward, time is running out. His execution is in two weeks and CO Becker and the other officers have a staff meeting to discuss the logistics. Everyone but CO Henderson, is a bit too eager to get their hanging on.

Linden is speeding through the alleys of Seattle, trying to find a girl who is doing her best to not be found. They come across a group of boys, huddled around something behind a fenced in area. Upon closer inspection, it’s a severed finger. Linden does some sleuthing and finds a trail of blood, pointing in the direction of the youth homeless shelter, Beacon House. Inside, Holder and Linden question the pastor about a possible injured girl. He is as tight lipped and sanctimonious as usual, but suggests they check out a 24 hour clinic. Bullet, who is smoking outside, takes it upon herself to join the investigation and hops into the back of Holder’s car. If anyone knows where Kallie might be, it’s her she tells them. Plus someone’s gotta make sure they do their job.

Bullet takes them to an underpass where Kallie sometimes crashes. The same violent group of punks that beat up Twitch is there, so Bullet says that no way Kallie would have stuck around. Holder changes into a hoodie, and tries to work some info out of the group. They threaten to sic their dog on him, but it turns out, Holder is a dog whisperer. Who knew? In the car with Linden, Bullet is showing off her hand-drawn tattoos, and if I’m not mistaken, is doing a bit of flirting as well. One of the punks is spewing some gibberish about a weeping river woman, but Holder picks out some clues in his ramblings. He and Linden search some cement pipes along the riverbank and discover a trail of blood but no body. The fear is that the killer caught up with the girl, and pulled her out to finish the job. Bullet wants to keep searching, but Holder tries to tell her this doesn’t bode well for Kallie. She responds by kicking him good and running off.

Danette, who is actually more concerned about Kallie’s whereabouts than she lets on, is driving the streets at night, searching for her. She leaves her daughter a message, begging her to call.

At the jail, Seward has an unexpected visitor. It’s Aiden’s foster mother and she tells Seward that she and her husband want to adopt Aiden. Since he’s going to be hanged in two weeks, Seward wants to know why she’s bothering to ask for his approval. She confesses that Aiden wants to see him before he dies, and that his son forgives him. Seward laughs at her and hangs up the phone. He leaves her pounding on the glass, begging him please.